Tool carrying chains for use on coal cutters and the like



Dec. l1, 1956 s. E. PRocToR 2,773,394

TOOL. CARRYING CHAINS FOR USE ON COAL CUTTERS AND THE LIKE Filed Dec. 28, 1954 5 Sheets-#Sheet 1 l fia l INPE/wrox M1351/ 53 www al, Awww, mm

Dec. 11, 1956 s. E. PRocToR 2,773,394

TOOL CARRYING CHAINS FOR USE ON COAL CUTTERS AND THE LIKE Filedinec. 28, 1954 3 sheets-sheet 2 IN VEA/Tof( ,JM MM5@ Dec. 11, 1956 s. E. PRocToR 2,773,394

TOOL CARRYING CHAINS FOR USE ON COAL CUTTERS AND THE LIKE Filed Dec. 28, 1954, 3 Sheets-Sheet C5 United States Patent O ice TDL CARRYING CHAINS FOR USE N CAL CUTTERS AND THE LIKE Sidney Ernest Proctor, Aylesbury, England, assignor to Austin Hoy and Company Limited, Aylesbury, England, a British company Application December 28, 1954, Serial No. 47 8,002

Claims priority, application Great Britain June 10, 1954 6 Claims. (Cl. 74-246) This invention comprises improvements in or relating to tool-carrying chains for use on coal cutters and the like.

The invention is a development of that described in United States Patent No. 2,675,219. In that specication there is described a chain having a liner for the sockets of ball socket joints, which liner consists of two opposed portions, each having a hemispherical recesses and each inserted into a link in the chain, through a bore made therein parallel to the base, of such a size as to tit the liner, the liner being secured firmly in said bore by appropriate fixing means and the neck of the ball being detachably secured in the neighbouring link.

ln the construction described in the said prior specification, the stem or neck of each ball, which was detachably secured in the neighbouring link, extended at right angles to the line of pull of the chain, and in course of time it has been found to Wear the hole in the link in which it is secured, to an oval shape. It is an object of this invention to overcome this ditiiculty.

According to the present invention, the detachable stem or neck of a ball for a ball-joint chain is bent in the course of its length so that its bent portion extends longitudinally along the chain and it is secured in a correspondingly lengthwiseeextending hole in the neighbouring link.

The following is a description by way of example of certain embodiments of the invention7 reference being made to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a side elevation, shown partly broken away to display the internal construction, of one embodiment;

Figure 2 is a plan of the same;

Figure 3 is an end elevation;

Figure 4 is a part longitudinal section of an alternative construction; and

Figure 5 is a side elevation of a further alternative.

Referring to Figures 1-3, a link 11 is provided with a socket-portion 12 at one end and a raised pick-carrying boss 13 at the other. The base of the link carries guidellanges 18, 19. The boss 13 contains slots 14, 15 for picks and screwed apertures 16, 17 for set-screws to hold the picks. Between the slots 14, 15 the boss 13 is drilled,

2,773,394 Patented Dec. 11, 1956 parallel to the base guide flanges 18, 19 to receive a shank 20 which extends at right angles to and forms part of a ball-stem 21, carrying a ball 22. The shank 20 is drawn tight in the boss 13 by a nut 23.

The socket 12 is provided with liners 24, 25, locked by a strip 26 as described in United States patent application No. 455,559, filed September 13, 1954.

Referring to Figure 4, this shows a similar construction, but instead of nut 23 the shank 20 is secured by a cotter pin 27.

ln addition, in both constructions, the stem 21 is secured by a rivet 28 passing transversely through the boss 23 from side to side. The rivet hole is best drilled and the rivet inserted and headed, after the shank 20 has been tightened home in the boss 13.

Referring to Figure 5 the construction shown is similar to Figure 1 but the ball stem 21 instead of being at right angles to the shank 20 is bent back toward the body 11 of the link, a construction which aiords some advantages in regard to the area of the ball available for taking stresses when the chain is in tension.

I claim:

1. A tool carrying chain having links which comprises body-portions, sockets at one end of said body-portions adapted to receive balls of neighboring links, tool-carrying bosses disposed on said links and balls below said bosses adapted to it into said sockets, said balls being formed on stems having Shanks extending at an angle to said stems, the tool-carrying bosses being bored parallel to the length of the chain to receive said Shanks, and means being provided to hold the Shanks in the bosses, said bosses being shaped to lit the stem-portions of said balls whereby said Shanks are prevented from turning in the bores of said bosses.

2. A tool carrying chain as claimed in claim 1 wherein the shank extends at right angles to the stem.

3. A tool carrying chain as claimed in claim 1 wherein the shank extends at an acute angle to the stem.

4. A tool carrying chain as claimed in claim 1 wherein the means for securing the shank in the aperture consists of a nut on the end ot the shank.

5. A tool carrying chain as claimed in claim l wherein the means for securing the shank in the aperture consists of a cotter pin in the end of the shank.

6. A tool .carrying chain as claimed in claim 1 wherein the means for securing the shank in the aperture consists of a fastening means at the end of the shank and in addition a rivet passing transversely through the stem above the ball and held in the boss at each side thereof.

References Cited in the file of this patent FOREIGN PATENTS 626,080 Great Britain July 8, 1949 

